← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• ½ white onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 100 g hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 400 g Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 serrano or jalapeño chillies
• ½ white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 bunch coriander, leaves and tender stems
• 50 g spinach or romaine lettuce leaves
• ¼ tsp Cumin
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 480 ml cooked white rice, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put the chicken in a pot with the onion half, garlic, salt and 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then simmer gently for 35 min, until cooked through (75°C / 165°F next to the bone). Keep the broth.
2. Meanwhile toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3–4 min, stirring, until they puff and start to pop. Take them off before they brown, or the sauce loses its green colour.
3. Simmer the tomatillos and chillies in a small pan of water for 8–10 min, until the tomatillos turn olive green and soft. Drain.
4. Blend the seeds, tomatillos, chillies, chopped onion, garlic, coriander, spinach, cumin and cloves with 500 ml of the chicken broth until very smooth.
5. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and pour in the sauce (it will splutter). Stir for 5 min, then add another 250 ml of broth and simmer gently for 10 min, stirring often, until it coats a spoon. Keep it at a bare simmer: hard boiling makes it split and turn grey.
6. Add the chicken pieces and warm through for 5 min. Taste for salt, thin with more broth if you like, and serve with rice and warm tortillas.

Tips

• If the sauce looks grainy or splits, blend it again with a splash of broth and it will come back together.
• Add blanched green beans or courgette with the chicken to make it a one-pot meal.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mexican Please Rick Bayless